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Nursing (NURS) 438
Trends and Issues in Nursing and Health Systems (Revision 4)

Revision 4 closed, replaced by current version.

Delivery mode: Individualized study online.
Note: Follow directions on the Undergraduate Course Registration form and select “Online” when asked for delivery mode. Online course materials cannot be accessed before your course contract start date. Grouped study only at Mount Royal College, Calgary, AB.

Credits: 3 - Applied Studies

Prerequisite: Post LPN: All required 300-level nursing courses, NURS 435, NURS 437
Athabasca University at Mount Royal College students: HLST 320, NURS 328, and eight of ten MRC 4400- level nursing courses.

Precluded course: NURS 438 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for NURS 489.

Centre: Centre for Nursing and Health Studies

NURS 438 has a Challenge for Credit option; this option is not available to post-LPN BN Students.

Overview

Nursing 438: Trends and Issues in Nursing and Health Systems introduces students to the position of nursing in the Canadian health care system. Perspectives to be explored include social, political, organizational, and legal/ethical factors. The continuing debate about the essence of nursing including professional issues is examined. The politics of health is discussed within the context of the Canadian health care system. Current issues are critically analyzed in relation to their influence on the nursing profession and nursing practice.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of NURS 438, the student will achieve or exceed the following learning outcomes:

  • Articulate the relationship between one’s personal values, beliefs and assumptions and one’s professional nursing practice;
  • Discuss possibilities resulting from positioning oneself to be open to new ideas;
  • Articulate and analyze current nursing and health care trends and issues;
  • Articulate and analyze societal change and resulting challenges for nursing practice;
  • Discuss appropriate resolution strategies for selected issues;
  • Demonstrate understanding of ethical and legal issues in nursing practice;
  • Demonstrate understanding of the major nursing organizations and their interrelated roles in regulating Canadian nursing;
  • Discuss the relationship between nursing education and professional nursing practice; and
  • Analyze nursing workplace environments for current trends and issues.

Course Structure

Unit 1: Identifying Personal Values, Beliefs and Attitudes

Unit 2A: Articulating and Analyzing Current Nursing and Health Care System Trends and Issues

Unit 2B: Identifying Appropriate Issue Resolution Strategies

Unit 3: Nurse Leadership and the Health Care System

Unit 4: Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing Practice

Unit 5: Nursing Education

Unit 6: Professional Nursing Organizations

Unit 7: Nursing Workplace Environments

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Evaluation

To receive credit for NURS 438, students must complete and submit all of the required assignments and achieve an overall composite grade of “C-” (60%). Effective January 1, 2010, all papers submitted must follow the guidelines of the APA Publication Manual (6th ed.) (2010). The assignments and weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

Media Analysis 20%
Scholarly Paper A 40%
Scholarly Paper B 40%
Total 100%

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbook

McIntyre, M. & McDonald, C. (2010). Realities of Canadian nursing: Professional, practice and power issues (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Other Materials

Students will receive an Access Letter in the course package with instructions for gaining access to this online course. A variety of electronic journals and websites are used in the course and paper copies are not included in the course package.

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